FAQ

We provide advice, counsel, and representation to The New School. The New School is one legal entity which is comprised of eight divisions and numerous administrative departments. The attorneys in the OGC advise the trustees, officers, faculty and staff of the university on a variety of legal issues.

We are located at 80 Fifth Avenue, Suite 805. We can be reached by phone at 212.229.5432 or by fax at 212.807.1913. Or you can email us at [email protected].

Generally, only the senior managers of the university (president, provost, executive vice president, deans and officers) have the authority to sign documents after they have been carefully reviewed by the OGC. If there is a question about who may sign a particular document, contact your respective dean or vice president or contact OGC.

You should decline to accept service and direct the service processor to the OGC. The university's lawyers are the designated authorized agents to accept all legal documents.

Officers and managers are encouraged to raise all potential legal issues or concerns with the university attorneys.

You should bring those complaints to OGC. The office will refer the matter to the appropriate office or handle it directly.

Employees who want to anonymously report what they believe is unlawful or unethical behavior are encouraged to report those concerns to the OGC. Oftentimes, anonymous complaints are difficult to investigate because the person reporting the concern may not provide enough facts and supporting information and is not available for follow-up questions. As such, OGC encourages those wishing to report misconduct to meet with an OGC attorney and this office will maintain the confidential nature of the meeting to the maximum extent allowable by law. Employees choosing to make anonymous reports should provide as much pertinent information as possible regarding the conduct that they find problematic and the reason(s) the reporter feels the conduct is unethical and/or illegal.

No. While information given to the university's attorneys may have some legal protection, it may be necessary to disclose such information as part of the attorneys' duty to appropriately represent the university and its interests.

No. Only the OGC is authorized to retain outside counsel. If you should feel you need outside counsel representation, please contact us and we will determine if retaining outside counsel is appropriate.

The decision on whether to provide legal counsel to a member of the university community rests with the general counsel. Generally, OGC does not provide counsel to individuals to bring action against third parties. And, while each decision is dependent upon the particular facts in a given situation, representation of individuals (students, faculty or staff) is dependent upon whether the individual being sued was conducting his/her self consistent with his/her assigned duties or at the request of a University officer. In instances where a decision is made to represent an individual, that person will either be assigned counsel or authorized to retain counsel of his/her choice.

No. The OGC is counsel to the university. Any advice on non-university matters is beyond the scope of its duties.

A copy of the conflicts of interest policy is located on page nineteen (19) of the Institutional Policies and Procedures Manual on the Human Resources website. You can also read a copy of this document if you sign in to your my.newschool.edu account. Once you sign in, click on the employee tab. You can download the institutional policies and procedures manual as well as other important university policies under the box for human resources.

Yes, please call the office to arrange for a notary to sign your document(s). Please provide a governmental form of identification that contains your photo and signature. A New School ID is not sufficient. By law, a government issued ID is required.